GEOLOGICAL SECTIOI^. 137 



A large number of beautiful and interesting species were aho 

 exhibited by other members of the Section. 



The Hon. Secretary then read some notes communicated by a 

 friend in Canada, on some distinctive American beetles, illustrated 

 by specimens; among the species noticed were Boryphora 10 lineata, 

 Lema 3 lineata, Macrodactylus subspinosus, and Zachnosterna 

 quercina. 



^uU%m\ ^u\\m. 



The first evening meeting of this Section was held Janaary 8th, 

 1873, at the Bristol Museum and Library. 



The accounts of the past year were examined and passed as 

 correct. The President and Secretary were unanimously re- 

 elected. 



A paper had been promised by the President, but owing to 

 sudden indisposition he was unable to attend, and the meeting 

 occupied itself with an extemporised discussion on ''Evolution" 

 and the influence this theory has had on geological enquiry. 



The next evening meeting was held February 12th. There 

 were exhibited some bones of Cave Mammals from Blagdon, 

 which Mr. Sherwood Smith had presented to the Museum. 

 They came from a fissure in the !N"ew Eed Conglomerate, and 

 from a depth of forty feet ; they were found in sinking for iron- 

 ore. The miners unfortunately did not parsue the fissure in a 

 ^.W. or S.E. direction, in which case more bones might have 

 been found. As the fissure was apparently closed at the surface 

 it is possible that they just cut the far end or branch of some 

 cavern. There is a small shallow valley about fifty yards to the 

 "W. of the sinking, and there may possibly exist there an opening 



